It seems you can never be too old for Puffing Billy.  Those along for the ride were a mixture of families and tourists – all hanging their legs out the side and getting into the spirit of the experience.  I took along a friend and her almost 12-year-old with us – and the 12-year-old was every bit as excited as my six-year-old.  We caught the train to Lakeside and back – stopping for a few hours at Emerald Lake to have lunch and a general mess about in the playground and gardens.  Despite the miserable weather the kids had a ball and my friend and I had time for a relaxed catch up while enjoying the view and fresh air.

We took along our own lunch and purchased a coffee at the Lakeside cafeteria (it had the ambience of a service station – please someone do something with this wasted opportunity!).

The survival (and continuing operation) of Puffing Billy is a credit to the hundreds of volunteers who keep it on the tracks.

If you want to avoid getting a little soot in your eyes wear sunglasses or try to get a carriage near the back or don’t stick your head out.  Oh and if you want to get a photo with the engineer – make sure you head straight down to say hello when you get off the train.